Being laughed at on the School Run

[ChoccyBiscuits123]

Okay so I'm going to start by saying I'm not usually bothered by people's behaviour - I'm very much a live and let live person....however...there are two women on the school run that I am just perplexed by.

So for example this morning..I had just dropped my daughter off at school and I'm minding my own business walking home. These two other mums come from around the corner and immediately start laughing directly at me in my face...! They then stifled their giggles and walked past. This is not the first time this has happened.
Once they started singing a Kylie Minogue song at me from the other side of the road laughing and twirling around. All a bit much for me in the morning!!

We're all pretty relaxed dressers on the school run..they wear tracksuits and tie their hair up and I tend to wear leggings and a navy joules coat with miminal make up (mascara and perhaps a red lip if I have the energy) so it's not like I'm going to school in Kylie hot pants or full make up or other crazy clothing.

I'm perplexed as to why they've targeted me as I don't know them at all. It's got to the point where it is upsetting me. Someone laughing in my face or stifling giggles as I walk past is hurtful and it's starting to feel like bullying. Am I being too sensitive? Is my make up or dress sense so awful they cant help but laugh? I am so confused! Esp as they don't seem to do it to anyone else.

I want to ignore it and just put it down to them being muppets but I am struggling now.

I can't confront them as they will probably just see it as hilarious and as they've never actually said anything directly to me they could accuse me of being paranoid.

Any help or advice much appreciated. No nasty comment please.

You may not want to but I’d just ask them. You’ll never know otherwise.

If it happens again I’d just give them a really genuine smile and ask them what the joke is. If you have never had any dealings with them it’s possibly some daft private joke that isn’t intended maliciously towards you at all. But if it is bullying let them explain themselves because we aint got a clue here on MN

The poster who said report them for being drunk on the school run, 99% sure this is a joke but just in case, as an already overworked school Safeguarding Lead, please don't do this! 😂

Believe it or not I have, on more than one occasion, spent considerable time looking into safeguarding concerns raised by a parent who it eventually turned out was trying to cause trouble for another parent they'd fallen out with. Some people never grow up. And don't get me started on the bullying that goes on between grown women in the class WhatsApp groups!

Sorry to go off on a tangent there, OP. You seem lovely and they sound like utter knobs.

First post nailed it.

Regression is a way to relive a past they think was success to them.

How upsetting. « What? » would be a good answer to them honestly…

You’ve got to do something to make them feel uneasy.
Not violent, just a bit unhinged, for instance, start manically laughing in front of them and then stop (not in school playground), straighten up and say “Sorry I thought that’s what we do”. Then walk away, it will blindside them and hopefully get the message through.

Please do not give them the satisfaction of asking them, you’ll never get the answer you’re looking for and you’ll only end up upsetting yourself in the process and fuelling their teasing. Hold your head up high, don’t make eye contact and set the example to your child that their opinions don’t matter so that if they find themselves in a similar situation in their lives then they won’t react as that often just encourages it.

you’re better than that, you can’t change people’s behaviour but you can choose how you respond to it.
noise cancelling ear buds and have a meditation podcast on and glide serenely past…they’ll soon lose interest and just remember - people who behave like that are often deeply unhappy.

Personally I would ask then straight what it is they are laughing at!! Which song were they singing at you? I can’t stand horrible immature women like this.

I would get a pair of gold hot pants, put them on over my leggings and blast Kylie out of my phone on the way past….
’I’m spinning around, get out of my way….’
It’s already March. If you are doing the legends slot at Glastonbury again you need to get rehearsing!

Yes. Why should they be empowered by OPs lack of reaction. maybe a cheery “Good morning, girrrls” in her best Jean Brodie accent?

Confront them. Ask what is so funny. People like this are despicable

Just ignore them.
If they're old enough to do the school run, they're old enough to know better than behave in such an immature way 🙄

Oh dear, how nasty! I would have been bothered by this YEARS ago but now I pity people like this. I bet they are chavvy mums and are jealous of you because you look smart? Whatever the case is, they have issues and I'd try to ignore if I was you and look at it In a different way of how sad!

I'd give them the death stare . The look you up and down like you are rubbish one. Or say "what the eff u looking at? Want a picture, it'll last longer!"(but maybe just that last part of the sentence ). What song was it?

I would probably do something really odd the next time I saw them, like take my shoe off and pretend to call DFS on it

It seems these juvenile Mums are envious of you
Why else would they be mocking & trying to make you feel self conscious
Ultimate compliment to be compared to Kylie Minogue
Though you might not dress like her
Maybe your looks resemble Kylie Minogue's & spiteful women like them, will be jealous & mock because they're feeling inferior to your good looks
This is completely their problem & utterly stinks of jealousy
Hold your head up high & well done for not reacting to them & their spiteful, envy infuelled methods 🤗

just go with “g’day ladies, lovely to see you so happy today”
Whatever they do say it’s great and a lovely reflection on their happy selves..let it all wash over you..refuse to see and downside in what they are doing.

I'd like to see whether they'd love a smack in the mouth, which I wish bullies everywhere would receive every time they felt it necessary to target someone for no other reason than a power trip. Bad behaviour that has no comebacks becomes engrained.

I know your heart is in the right place but I don't think it would be wise for original commenter to lower her standards to match them
These bullying Mums could turn it all around on Her & she could then be much worse off than she's already feeling
I know from experience, being severely bullied in my teens, girls I once finally decided to stand up to, made matters even worse 😢Wouldn't wish that on anyone especially someone so lovely as this Mum here commenting🙏

I’ve been in a similar position with somebody who very obviously didn’t like me for I’m not sure what reason! What I found worked for me was to pretend I didn’t even notice/ it was water off a duck’s back/ utterly insignificant to me! I had to fake it til I made it and eventually it stopped. If they see you are confused/bothered/upset by their behaviour that will fuel them to keep going and they will find it hilarious. If you are not bothered and don’t even notice, that is not giving them anything. I think the idea to pretend to be on the phone or actually be on the phone having a great conversation is a good one - or find something interesting to read on your phone. And focus on people you like! I bet they are probably trying to pull you down/ they might feel some envy or resentment about something you have or represent (real or imagined) but it is futile and a waste of time to try and figure out what that is.

Sending you a huge hug. What a tedious, irritating deeply unpleasant pair of gate gibbons for you to have to deal with.

They sound like a pair of absolute clowns , however if they think u resemble Kylie then I would take that as a huge compliment . I think she’s stunning x

i know a lot of people would say ignoring them would be the best thing and I wish I could be that person but I struggle to control my facial expressions for things like this so I would look at them in disgust next time I saw them or laugh back at that them🤣 I love catching people out especially people being mean like this for no reason. They will not expect you to laugh at them. They seem the bully type!

Not rtft but I'd have spun around on cue..... my daughter goes to seriously one of the most deepest darkest wiltshire village schools in the county (the cliques are horrendous - oh darling where are your Hunter wellies?) but I just ignore all that..it took from reception until about year 1 but now they all confide in me because I am what I am...lol.....play them at their own game...with the amount of shit I know about each of them now they wouldn't dare piss me off..rise above them OP, they are just twats xx

I would just pretend they're not there, completely ignore them and never look at them, even if they're right in front of you. They clearly have the same age mentality as their children!

Since hitting my 40's I've given less and less of a fuck about what anyone thinks of me as the years go on. If someone wants to go out of their way to make themselves look completely ridiculous for my benefit, then go ahead. I'd be almost flattered that anyone can be bothered tbh!

I would probably just laugh in their faces if they were doing something daft (like the Kylie thing) or do the classic stare through them - you do not exist.